Latest news with #California-only
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
State Farm seeks to boost California home insurance rate hike to 30%
A week after winning emergency approval to raise Californians' home insurance premiums, State Farm is seeking to boost that rate hike even higher to 30%. On May 13, the state's largest insurance company got the OK from regulators to increase rates by an average of 17% starting next month. State Farm secured the expedited rate hike after asserting it was in financial distress and expected $7.6 billion in claims arising from the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January. The "interim" rate increase, however, was only part of a 30% hike the company asked for in June 2024. To reach the full amount, State Farm filed a request Monday for an 11% increase starting next year, on top of the already approved 17% increase. Since the hikes would happen sequentially, they would have the effect of raising rates by 30%. State Farm is also requesting to raise rates by 36% for condos and 52% for renters. The California Department of Insurance said it will hold a public hearing in October to continue gathering information from company officials as they seek to justify the requests. "State Farm wanting a rate increase doesn't change the law," the agency said in a statement. "All rates must be justified so consumers don't pay more than is required." It's unclear exactly how much premiums could go up in the Bay Area or which parts of the region would see the largest rate hikes. Statewide, the insurer covers roughly 15% of homes, totaling more than 1 million customers. When State Farm made its initial 30% request last June, the company asked the insurance department to grant a "variance" to raise premiums higher than usual due to its financial outlook. State Farm General, the company's California-only subsidiary, had issued multiple warnings about its solvency. S&P Global Ratings recently threatened to downgrade the insurer's credit rating, signaling concerns about its financial strength. With the June request still pending, the insurer asked regulators to approve the emergency hike after the devastating fires in Los Angeles County. At the recommendation of an administrative judge, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara last week authorized the 17% hike, slightly less than the 22% the company had requested. In a statement, State Farm said it was "pleased" with Lara's decision but made clear it would continue pursuing the full 30% increase. Consumer advocates, however, said regulators should not have agreed to approve the expedited rate hike - the first time an insurer won such approval in California. They called on the insurance department to closely scrutinize the data that State Farm is now providing to justify another increase. "We've already heard from consumers who are outraged that they just got 17% and now they're asking for more," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Los Angeles-based Consumer Watchdog. State Farm's latest request is the most recent chapter in California's insurance crisis, as providers have ended coverage for hundreds of thousands of policyholders across the state in recent years amid unprecedented wildfire losses. California's insurance rates are closely regulated and, as a result, lower than in many other parts of the country. The insurance industry argues that has left insurers in an untenable situation, even as companies have won approval for repeated rate hikes in recent years. In an attempt to stabilize the faltering home insurance market, state regulators earlier this year finalized a plan that includes allowing insurers to raise rates based on the growing threat of climate change - long an industry demand - in exchange for expanding coverage in parts of the state with the greatest wildfire risk. Consumer advocates, however, contend the plan will lead to huge rate increases and lacks the teeth to force insurers to add homeowners. In the greater Bay Area, insurers who opt into the plan will be expected to write more policies in Marin, Napa and Santa Cruz counties, as well as parts of San Mateo and Sonoma counties and a sliver of Santa Clara County. Insurers would also have to offer new policies for fire-risk homes in suburban areas such as the East Bay Hills and Los Gatos. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
California regulators want to weaken hazardous waste disposal rules
California environmental regulators are considering rolling back the state's hazardous waste disposal rules, potentially permitting some municipal landfills to accept more contaminated soil from heavily polluted areas. From lead-acid battery smelters to rocket testing facilities, heavy industry over the past century in California has left large swathes of land imbued with dangerous chemicals. As a result, contaminated soil that has been removed during major environmental cleanups or new construction has typically comprised the largest bloc of hazardous waste in California each year. More than 560,000 tons of toxic dirt are excavated every year on average, according to a 2023 DTSC report. The vast majority of this polluted soil would not qualify as hazardous waste outside of California, because the state has more stringent rules than the federal government. But now the California Department of Toxic Substances Control is recommending loosening the state's hazardous waste rules for contaminated soil, arguing that many nonhazardous landfills are adequately equipped to accept chemical-laced dirt, according to an unpublished draft plan obtained by The Times. DTSC spokesperson Alysa Pakkidis said the agency is exploring ways to manage California-only hazardous waste "under different standards while still protecting public health and the environment," as required by a 2021 state law. The agency's recommendations will be detailed in the state's first Hazardous Waste Management Plan, a document that is intended to help guide state strategy on potentially dangerous wastes and which the 2021 law requires be published every three years. The law called for the first version to be published by March 1. But as of March 11, it has still not been posted publicly. The DTSC proposal comes as hazardous waste, namely in the form of soil polluted after the recent L.A. wildfires, has become top of mind. Government agencies are facing blistering criticism over their decision to allow untested — and potentially hazardous — wildfire ash and soil to be disposed of in municipal landfills across Southern California. Environmental groups say allowing nonhazardous waste landfills to accept chemical-laced soil would be a grave mistake. By dumping more toxic substances into the landfills, there's a higher chance of chemicals leaking into groundwater or becoming part of airborne dust blowing into nearby communities. "The reason we established these waste codes was to protect California's groundwater and public health,' said Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, an environmental nonprofit. 'You can see how effectively [the state is] regulating landfills without the hazardous waste. We're finding vast noncompliance." California's more rigorous hazardous waste standards have led to higher costs for industry and government, as under the current rules, contaminated soil must be transported to a specialized hazardous waste facility in California or hauled to landfills in neighboring states. California currently has only two hazardous waste landfills: Kettleman Hills and Buttonwillow, both in San Joaquin Valley. Oftentimes, contaminated soil is taken to nonhazardous landfills in neighboring states that rely on the more lenient federal standards. The average distance driven to dispose of California-designated hazardous soil is about 440 miles, according to a DTSC draft report. "Because there's only two and they're kind of far away from everything, it is very expensive to take material there,' said Nick Lapis, director of advocacy for Californians Against Waste, a Sacramento-based environmental nonprofit. "So people are always looking for ways to not take material there, and that has sometimes resulted in people taking material out of state." The proposed changes would in theory give private industry a larger selection of in-state landfills to which they could send their waste. DTSC argues that this would result in shorter trucking distances, less air pollution and lower costs. But the state could also see cost savings from relaxing its policies. California has been funding the removal and replacement of soil in neighborhoods around the Exide battery plant in Southeast L.A. County — the state's most expensive cleanup. State contractors are trucking hazardous soil from that site to nonhazardous waste landfills in Utah, Nevada and Arizona — states that rely on the more lenient federal hazardous waste standards. California currently uses three tests to determine whether solid waste is hazardous. One ensures waste doesn't exceed state-established limits for certain toxic substances when the waste is in a solid form. For example, soil with 1,000 parts per million of lead is considered toxic by the state. The other two tests measure the concentration of toxic substances that seep out of solid waste when it is exposed to an acid. These are intended to simulate how solid waste could release chemicals inside the landfill as it's exposed to leachate — liquid waste from rainfall or decomposing garbage. One of these tests is based on federally established methods, and the other is based on the stricter California state-established standards. DTSC recommends allowing contaminated soil that fails the state's leakage test to be dumped at nonhazardous waste landfills, so long as it passes the other two tests. They stressed that hazardous soil would be sent to landfills with liners and leachate collection systems — equipment that gathers and pumps out liquid waste that trickles to the bottom of the dump. Environmental advocates say liner systems can fail when damaged by earthquakes or extreme heat. They argue that sending chemical-laced soil into such systems would eventually imperil groundwater near landfills and could lead to long-term contamination risks. Residents who live near the landfills that are already accepting debris from the Eaton and Palisades wildfires say they are also worried about toxic dust. One of these sites is the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, a 1,036-acre landfill located in a blustery mountain pass in the northeastern San Fernando Valley where gusts often blow dust and odors into nearby communities. The landfill is less than a mile away from a popular recreational area with soccer fields and baseball diamonds. After trucks moved fire debris to the landfill, Erick Fefferman, a resident of nearby Granada Hills, decided against allowing his son to participate in a youth soccer league there this year. "We keep hearing about liners and leachate, but we're not hearing about wind," said Erick Fefferman. "Things don't just sink down — they also get lifted up." Contaminated soil is allowed to be used as "daily cover," a layer of material spread over municipal waste to prevent odors and pests. In a November 2024 meeting, when state officials were asked if California-only hazardous soil could be used as a cover, a DTSC representative said 'it is a consideration." California's hazardous waste laws were first established in 1972 to direct the state to regulate the handling, transportation and disposal of dangerous materials within the state. The state adopted a more rigorous classification system and regulations, including the state leakage test, in the 1980s. Though California's regulations are among the strictest in the nation, they have been loosened over time. In 2021, for example, the state legislature adopted rules allowing for wood coated with toxic metals like chromium and arsenic to be taken to nonhazardous waste facilities. Contaminated soil could be next. DTSC is working to identify regulatory or statutory avenues that would allow for soil that could be contaminated with heavy metals to be dumped at California landfills. To do so, the agency will need the cooperation of the state Water Resources Board and CalRecycle, which regulate nonhazardous waste landfills. Landfill owners would also need to volunteer to accept contaminated soil, according to the DTSC draft plan. The Board of Environmental Safety, a five-member committee that provides oversight of DTSC, will host a series of public meetings on the state's hazardous waste plan. The board is scheduled to vote on whether to approve the plan in July. Environmental advocates say the plans will likely face stiff opposition. "If we need more disposal capacity, maybe we should be requiring everybody to have the same standards as a hazardous waste landfill," said Lapis, the advocacy director for Californians Against Waste. "Deregulation is not the right solution, the fact that they're even proposing it is kind of crazy to me." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
California regulators want to weaken hazardous waste disposal rules
California environmental regulators are considering rolling back the state's hazardous waste disposal rules, potentially permitting some municipal landfills to accept more contaminated soil from heavily polluted areas. From lead-acid battery smelters to rocket testing facilities, heavy industry over the past century in California has left large swathes of land imbued with dangerous chemicals. As a result, contaminated soil that has been removed during major environmental cleanups or new construction has typically comprised the largest bloc of hazardous waste in California each year. More than 560,000 tons of toxic dirt are excavated every year on average, according to a 2023 DTSC report. The vast majority of this polluted soil would not qualify as hazardous waste outside of California, because the state has more stringent rules than the federal government. But now the California Department of Toxic Substances Control is recommending loosening the state's hazardous waste rules for contaminated soil, arguing that many nonhazardous landfills are adequately equipped to accept chemical-laced dirt, according to an unpublished draft plan obtained by The Times. DTSC spokesperson Alysa Pakkidis said the agency is exploring ways to manage California-only hazardous waste 'under different standards while still protecting public health and the environment,' as required by a 2021 state law. The agency's recommendations will be detailed in the state's first Hazardous Waste Management Plan, a document that is intended to help guide state strategy on potentially dangerous wastes and which the 2021 law requires be published every three years. The law called for the first version to be published by March 1. But as of March 11, it has still not been posted publicly. The DTSC proposal comes as hazardous waste, namely in the form of soil polluted after the recent L.A. wildfires, has become top of mind. Government agencies are facing blistering criticism over their decision to allow untested — and potentially hazardous — wildfire ash and soil to be disposed of in municipal landfills across Southern California. Environmental groups say allowing nonhazardous waste landfills to accept chemical-laced soil would be a grave mistake. By dumping more toxic substances into the landfills, there's a higher chance of chemicals leaking into groundwater or becoming part of airborne dust blowing into nearby communities. 'The reason we established these waste codes was to protect California's groundwater and public health,' said Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, an environmental nonprofit. 'You can see how effectively [the state is] regulating landfills without the hazardous waste. We're finding vast noncompliance.' California's more rigorous hazardous waste standards have led to higher costs for industry and government, as under the current rules, contaminated soil must be transported to a specialized hazardous waste facility in California or hauled to landfills in neighboring states. California currently has only two hazardous waste landfills: Kettleman Hills and Buttonwillow, both in San Joaquin Valley. Oftentimes, contaminated soil is taken to nonhazardous landfills in neighboring states that rely on the more lenient federal standards. The average distance driven to dispose of California-designated hazardous soil is about 440 miles, according to a DTSC draft report. 'Because there's only two and they're kind of far away from everything, it is very expensive to take material there,' said Nick Lapis, director of advocacy for Californians Against Waste, a Sacramento-based environmental nonprofit. 'So people are always looking for ways to not take material there, and that has sometimes resulted in people taking material out of state.' The proposed changes would in theory give private industry a larger selection of in-state landfills to which they could send their waste. DTSC argues that this would result in shorter trucking distances, less air pollution and lower costs. But the state could also see cost savings from relaxing its policies. California has been funding the removal and replacement of soil in neighborhoods around the Exide battery plant in Southeast L.A. County — the state's most expensive cleanup. State contractors are trucking hazardous soil from that site to nonhazardous waste landfills in Utah, Nevada and Arizona — states that rely on the more lenient federal hazardous waste standards. California currently uses three tests to determine whether solid waste is hazardous. One ensures waste doesn't exceed state-established limits for certain toxic substances when the waste is in a solid form. For example, soil with 1,000 parts per million of lead is considered toxic by the state. The other two tests measure the concentration of toxic substances that seep out of solid waste when it is exposed to an acid. These are intended to simulate how solid waste could release chemicals inside the landfill as it's exposed to leachate — liquid waste from rainfall or decomposing garbage. One of these tests is based on federally established methods, and the other is based on the stricter California state-established standards. DTSC recommends allowing contaminated soil that fails the state's leakage test to be dumped at nonhazardous waste landfills, so long as it passes the other two tests. They stressed that hazardous soil would be sent to landfills with liners and leachate collection systems — equipment that gathers and pumps out liquid waste that trickles to the bottom of the dump. Environmental advocates say liner systems can fail when damaged by earthquakes or extreme heat. They argue that sending chemical-laced soil into such systems would eventually imperil groundwater near landfills and could lead to long-term contamination risks. Residents who live near the landfills that are already accepting debris from the Eaton and Palisades wildfires say they are also worried about toxic dust. One of these sites is the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, a 1,036-acre landfill located in a blustery mountain pass in the northeastern San Fernando Valley where gusts often blow dust and odors into nearby communities. The landfill is less than a mile away from a popular recreational area with soccer fields and baseball diamonds. After trucks moved fire debris to the landfill, Erick Fefferman, a resident of nearby Granada Hills, decided against allowing his son to participate in a youth soccer league there this year. 'We keep hearing about liners and leachate, but we're not hearing about wind,' said Erick Fefferman. 'Things don't just sink down — they also get lifted up.' Contaminated soil is allowed to be used as 'daily cover,' a layer of material spread over municipal waste to prevent odors and pests. In a November 2024 meeting, when state officials were asked if California-only hazardous soil could be used as a cover, a DTSC representative said 'it is a consideration.' California's hazardous waste laws were first established in 1972 to direct the state to regulate the handling, transportation and disposal of dangerous materials within the state. The state adopted a more rigorous classification system and regulations, including the state leakage test, in the 1980s. Though California's regulations are among the strictest in the nation, they have been loosened over time. In 2021, for example, the state legislature adopted rules allowing for wood coated with toxic metals like chromium and arsenic to be taken to nonhazardous waste facilities. Contaminated soil could be next. DTSC is working to identify regulatory or statutory avenues that would allow for soil that could be contaminated with heavy metals to be dumped at California landfills. To do so, the agency will need the cooperation of the state Water Resources Board and CalRecycle, which regulate nonhazardous waste landfills. Landfill owners would also need to volunteer to accept contaminated soil, according to the DTSC draft plan. The Board of Environmental Safety, a five-member committee that provides oversight of DTSC, will host a series of public meetings on the state's hazardous waste plan. The board is scheduled to vote on whether to approve the plan in July. Environmental advocates say the plans will likely face stiff opposition. 'If we need more disposal capacity, maybe we should be requiring everybody to have the same standards as a hazardous waste landfill,' said Lapis, the advocacy director for Californians Against Waste. 'Deregulation is not the right solution, the fact that they're even proposing it is kind of crazy to me.'
